It is the Christmas season, all will be jolly, and all churches
will be holy, for Christ is born.
Christ
the Son of God, the savior, the messiah, is born into the world and he
will
die for our sins. It is a time in Christendom for great jubilation. In
Christendom
this joyful event occurs annually. As the Biblical angel sang: "Glory
to God, in the highest, and on earth, peace and good will toward men"
(Luke 2:14).[1] Yes, this is a very jolly time for
everyone, especially Christians.

All gather in churches and sing praises to God and the Christ child.
In Catholic Churches Christ's birthday is celebrated with the Mass where
he undergoes his death and resurrection under the appearances of bread and
wine. Then most in their homes exchange gifts with one another in
resemblance
of the three wise men,[2] the magi, in the Bible
who
gave Baby Jesus their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matt. 2:11),
and eat festive holiday meals with family and friends.

All of this joy occurs by the grace of God the faithful believe, For
God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not parish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
This, supposedly simply stated, means whoever believes in the Son of God,
Jesus Christ, lives forever. This is why he was born, in essence the
meaning
of Christmas. God wanted the incarnation of his Son; it was God's
wish and plan. Since God wanted his Son to be born Christians are joyfully
thankful. In their jubilation they conveniently forget there was a price.

This price was the blood of Christmas, the blood of innocent children.
According to the Christmas story prior to visiting Mary
and Joseph in the stable where the magi presented their gifts to the
Christ
child, they had gone to King Herod, ruler of Judea, seeking the location
of the child whom was declared to be born King of the Jews. At first Herod
did not know so he consulted his chief priests and scribes of the people.
After demanding to know where the child was to be born, the location was
Bethlehem of Judea, for it was written by the prophet: And thou Bethlehem,
in the land of Judah, for you are the least among the princes of Judah;
out of you shall come a Governor that shall rule my people, Israel.

When hearing this Herod hurriedly called the magi to meet with him; he
earnestly asked when the star appeared. Satisfied with their answer, he
told them to go to Bethlehem and search him. After finding the child, they
were to return and tell him so he might too go and worship the child
(Matt.
2:1-8).

As those familiar with the story know the magi went to Bethlehem and
found the child, but on their return were warned in a dream by God not to
return to Herod, but to return to their country another way (Matt.
2:9-11).
When the magi did not return Herod felt betrayed and grew very angry. He
and his council were troubled. In desperation he sent men with orders to
kill all children[3] that were in Bethlehem and its
boarders at the time of his diligent questioning of the magi.

This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah: In Ramah was there a voice
heard,
lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her
children,
and would not be comforted, because they are not (Matt. 2:16-18).

God wanted his Son born and he wanted him kept alive at any price so
he might have him killed some thirty-three years later. The price was the
slaying of innocent children. This was God's plan, no Christian denies it,
and the prophecy of Jeremiah confirms it. This article does not intend to
debate the attributes of God, Christians describe him as omniscient and
omnipresent, so these divine traits will be accepted; therefore, it must
also be accepted that God always knew that the children would be slain,
and Jeremiah's prophecy confirms if one accepts that the prophecy was
inspired
by God or is the word of God as some fundamentalist Christians do. God
knew
that when the magi were warned in the dream not to return to Herod that
the slaying of the children was inevitable because he also knew what
Herod's
reaction would be.

But, many will scream, God did this to save the child Christ. This, as
the story is told, is obvious, however, the question remains, was this the
only way the child could have been saved, or was it the way God wanted him
saved. Christians also describe God as almighty, he can do all things; if
so, then God had other alternatives. One would have been not to have them
go to Herod but be guided directly to Bethlehem by the star. According to
the Bible this finally occurred: When they had heard the king, they
departed;
and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it
came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star,
they
rejoiced with exceedingly great joy (Matt. 2:9-10). There they found the
child and his mother and fell down to worship him.

The last two quoted verses are misleading. One would think that they
only saw the star after departed from seeing Herod; however, verse 7
states
"Then Herod, when he had (privately) called the wise men, inquired
of them diligently what time the star appeared." This indicates they
had seen the star before meeting with Herod. The magi, or wise men, are
said to have come the east, and are assumed to be astronomers or
astrologers,
men who had studied the stars. Herod indicated his knowledge of their
profession
when diligently asked them when the star first appeared.

It is assumed that these men had followed the star as they journeyed
from the east, it led them to Judea. The question arises that if these men
had followed the star this far, why did they not continue to follow it to
Bethlehem instead of consulting Herod. Verse 9, above, gives a partial
answer:
"When they heard the king, they departed; and lo, the star, which they
saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the
young child was." It would appear that when in their homeland in the
east they had first seen the star which they know signaled Christ's birth.
But for some reason when approaching or reaching Judea they were not able
to see the star which necessitated their consulting Herod. The reason the
star became invisible to them is mysterious, but according the Biblical
narration it appears to have done so. And, as previously stated, it
necessitated
consulting Herod. One might suspect their reasoning was that since Herod
was ruler of Judea he should know what occurred within his land, and it
was only proper they should ask him first.[4]

This is sufficient reason why the magi met with Herod; the significance
of the star they had been following, its invisibility, and his kingship.
Its invisibility was pivotal, however, if it had not been for that the
magi
probably would have journeyed straight to Bethlehem without consulting
Herod.
But, the star mysteriously disappeared. One, seemingly proper,
speculatively
answer is that the star's invisibility was the work of God. This also
coincides
with the premise: God wanted Jesus born, kept safe, and the prophecy of
Jeremiah fulfilled.

God did keep his son safe: And when they were departed, behold and angel
of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream saying, Arise and take the young
child and his mother, and flee into Egypt; and be thou there until I bring
thee word; for Herod will seek the child to destroy him. When he arose,
he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt.
And was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which
was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, [5]Out
of
Egypt I have called my son (Matt. 2:13-15).

Again one sees this was planned by God. In the dream Joseph was told
that Herod would seek to destroy the child, indicating that God knew what
Herod would do; so they were to flee to Egypt, stay there until told to
return so Hosea's prophecy would be fulfilled. Once again a prophecy
confirms
God's foreknowledge. From this one sees God had no intension of letting
Herod die before or when Christ was born; God dismissed that alternative.
Neither did he choose to change Herod's heart; Herod's fear that another
ruler would usurp him fully persuaded his decision to order the killing
of all Bethlehem children of two and under. God passively let this
happened.

The slaughter of the children is not described in Matthew 2:16, but one
does not have to use much imagination if he is familiar with the Old
Testament
for this is not the first Biblical killing of innocent children that God
allowed. Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight
at Jahaz. And the Lord our God delivered him before us, and we smote him,
and his sons, and all his people. And we took all his cities at that time,
and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones
of every city; we left none to remain. (Deuteronomy 2:32-34). Another time
that God destroyed his enemies: Thus say the Lord of hosts, I remember
that
which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he
came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that
they have, and spear them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and
suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass (1 Samuel 15:2-3).

Here one sees the Lord our God and/or Lord of hosts literally and
completely
destroys his enemies, those who do not abide by his will or harm his
people.
The above are just two incidences, but there are many more in the Old
Testament.
By some very sanctimonious reasoning some might say the Lord God was
justified
for such action toward his enemies; however, a humane person finds it hard
to see how infant children could be enemies of God, but one must justify
this by saying their slaying was punishment to the enemy of the God.

However, as far as one knows, the children two and under of Bethlehem
were not children of any enemy of God, if anything, they just happened to
be born at the wrong time. Just imagine what the incident must have been
like. Herod's men, shoulders, marching into the town with arms, knocking
on or knocking in doors, demanding to know if children were there, perhaps
inquiring how old they were, those looking the right age were slain
immediately
before their mother's and perhaps, father's eyes; others being grabbed
from
their mother's breast and slain, while others were probably slain while
they played in streets. This, no doubt, was a horrifying experience for
the mothers and others. Once it got going who knows whether the age was
asked, the shoulders caught up in the frenzy might have just started
killing
kids, three, four, or five.

Question, did these mothers, fathers, and relatives of the murdered
children
feel the peace on earth toward men of good will that the angel of the Lord
promised when Jesus was born? One almost knows for certain they did not.
Are far as one knows most were ordinary people of good will. They most
likely
horrified, hurt, angry, saddened, and confused, asking how their God could
permit such a thing to happen, and justly do.

And, there is the question of the murdered children what became of them?
Jesus is said to have came to die the sins of mankind, and she shall bring
forth a son, thou shall call his name Jesus; for he shall save his people
(Matt. 1:21); where these children among those saved? Or do they not meet
the requirement, neither is there salvation in any other; for there is no
other name under heaven given among men, were by we must be saved (Acts
4:12). These children did not know Jesus, they just died for him. One can
believe Catholicism, they were without sin, but not baptized, so they
enter
Limbo,[6] a spiritual
state of eternal happiness but will never see the face of God.

But this fails to support Christ later words to his disciples: And [he]
said, verily I say unto you, except ye be converted and become as little
children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 18:3). Jesus
spoke
this after his disciples had asked him who is the greatest in the kingdom
of heaven; and he had introduced a child into their midst. After saying
the above Jesus added, Whosoever, therefore, shall humble himself as this
little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whosoever
receives one such little child receives me. But whosoever shall offend one
of these little ones who believe in me, it were better for him that a
millstone
were hanged around his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the
sea (Matt. 18:4-6).

Here Jesus placed full emphasis on children, saying they are the greatest
in the kingdom of heaven, whoever humbles himself like a child will be
equal
to them in the heavenly kingdom, and whoever receives them receives him,
but whoever offends them it would be better if he drowned at sea. So
children
were top priority with Jesus. And, he did not specify baptized children.

This, however, poses a question when Jesus places so much emphasis on
children and also speaks of the heavenly Father as the provider for them:
Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not, neither do they reap nor
gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are ye not much
better than they? No, Jesus does not specifically say the heavenly Father
provides for children, but the implication is there if he provides for
adults,
their parents. If Jesus was aware of the murder of innocent children after
his birth, then how can he in good conscience in the Sermon on the Mount
assure people their Father in heaven will care for them? As far as it is
known both populations were mostly Jewish. One who believes in a loving
Jesus could practically be expected to seriously doubt that he was aware
of the terrible events after his birth. But this question begs some
serious
thought and answers which are beyond the scope of this article.

However, one question must be asked, would such an incident as described
above be allowed to happened today. It does happen, that is known. That
is why there is such an outcry when innocent children are killed today in
Iraq, Palestine, and Israel. There are world organizations with humane
laws
against it. Leaders in countries found guilty of such practices are
legally
tried, convicted, and executed. But in the Christian countries of the
world
Christians accept such actions from their God usually without even a
thought.

This is partly the answer as to why such evil still exists. Most
Christians
do not question their God or the tenets that they believe; they are taught
not to, that it is sacrilegious. Most are taught it is sinful to question
the divine providence of God, his divine plan, justified by saying God
works
in mysterious ways. Therefore, the faithful just accept the good and the
bad, conveniently ignoring the bad. Their God is a loving father even
though
he allowed the innocent children to be slaughtered by Herod in order to
protect his begotten son Jesus; this is the joy of Christmas. The promise
of peace on earth to men of good will was not felt by the parents and
relatives
of those children just as it is not felt today. But the ritual of
Christmas
continues, although it is mostly hallow, people like it.

The ritual continues because it is ingrained into the personal and
national
psychic of western civilization; that the promise of peace on earth has
never been achieved does not matter. This can also be said concerning the
behavior of the Judeo-Christian God and Christianity itself. To the most
faithful their religion has became an accepted way of life; the not so
faithful,
they accept what they can and partially ignore the rest. They believe this
is a sin, but Jesus died for their sins, so it will be forgiven. This is
the prime motivation for Christianity, personal salvation, going to
heaven.
The foundation of Christianity is personal guilt of sin and the fear of
going to eternal hell. That is why the day following Christmas and the
Monday
after Easter people are once again told you still need to follow the Ten
Commandments, if you do not do this or do that, you can go to hell. If the
joy of Christmas and Easter resonates from the assurance that Jesus died
for sins of people, then the fear of not obeying the Commandments should
no longer be needed; the committed sins have been erased, if people are
kept from committing the sins, then Jesus died for something more than was
required. If the fear of sin was no longer present, then Christianity
should
be a joyous religion, not a string of rules which many feel compelled to
follow. Even Jesus is supposed to have said, "If ye love me, keep my
commandments" (John 14:15). Anyone that has known true love knows that
the lover never puts demands on the beloved, one does not have to because
the beloved wants to please the lover. Joys of Christianity are
short-lived.

The behavior of their God is ingrained in the Christian psychic,
especially
that of Christian national leaders. God allows his enemies to be punished,
defeated. Therefore, one must defeat his enemies, those not believing the
same way. This does not only apply to Christians but to Muslims as well,
those who call anyone not of their faith, those not believing like they
do, infidels. This in itself indicates why there is no peace on earth; why
stronger countries attack weaker ones. The same principle, we must defeat
our enemy, in essence, is still being followed. No one dares question
their
own belief system. It is easier to justify the system and blame the people
for not following it. But would it be such a sacrilegious act to ask since
Christianity has not work in promoting a peaceful world for some 2,000
years,
isn't it time to try something else? The global future may depend on it.

Footnotes:

[1] All Biblical references are from Holy Bible, New
Scofield
Reference Edition, New York, Oxford Press, 1969, unless otherwise noted,
noted for reference as Scofield Reference Bible (SRB).
[2] The term "Wise men" is derived from Greek magoi, a Persian
word meaning men expert in study of the stars, SRB 993f2. The number of
wise is assumed to be three since they gave the Child three gifts,
"Magi."
Unger's Bible Dictionary, Chicago, Moody Press, p. 679.
[3] In some scriptures this reads "all boys," such as The New
American Bible for Catholics, while other versions say all children. One
wonders weather Herod thought the magi might have been mistaken about
the
gender of the child and was taking no chances when ordering all children
killed.
[4] SRB, Ibid.
[5] Hosea 11:1: When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my
son out of Egypt.
[6] Limbo, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09256a.htm>